Friday, 11 March 2011

I was just minding my business at about 2:50pm waiting for my train to leave, and there was this shaking like they were trying to lift the train up, and it got all rickety and started shaking more and more.

This was definitely the biggest quake that I felt since I've been here. Later I found out it was an 8.9 quake, bigger than the famous 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake!

We were told to leave first the train, and then the station. The announcements were in Japanese so I didn't know what was going on. For some reason I was thinking that I was going to be late for work.

I tried calling my workplace and the line was dead. People were lining up to use payphones. Cars everywhere were in gridlock, and people were walking around everywhere like it is when there is a festival on. So many people!

I found some wifi and let my family know I was ok. I even Skyped so I could show them what was going on around me. I waited and waited, and just decided to walk home. Lucky I have good bearings (and gps) to get back. Thankfully I wasn't TOO far from home, as they even decided to shut down every train line for the night.

From then, up to the time I write this there have been a lot of aftershocks, but nothing more than what is a usual rumble in day to day Tokyo.

Let's hope it stays that way.

Never one to miss a video opportunity I filmed the event as it happened. Yes, my heart was in my stomach.

About Me

For some reason I have decided to leave my fine, if a little ordinary well paying job and family home where I don't pay rent and move to a country where I won't be able to read and barely speak the language. I have been to Tokyo before for a very short time. I was lost, confused and virtually on another planet. Why am I doing this? Because I HAVE to. I need to get out of the comfort zone I am in and really begin to live my life, start again and hopefully be happier overall. When I am sober I am thinking, "What the hell are you thinking?!?" but when I'm drunk I'm thinking "WOO HOOO!". So maybe if I'm drunk all the time I will accept this better.